Kathmandu— A major public art project celebrating the 270th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth has been disrupted by the theft of over 200 figurines depicting the composer. The miniature statues, installed throughout Salzburg, Austria, were part of a larger installation intended to portray Mozart as an ordinary man despite his genius; however, organizers were forced to end the garden display prematurely due to the scale of the loss, which is estimated at roughly €20,000.

Installation and Theft Details

The art installation featured 320 polymer figures of Mozart with his dog Pimperl placed in Salzburg’s Mirabell Garden and other locations connected to the composer. The Mozarteum Foundation reported that 210 of these figures had been stolen, depleting their reserve replacements. While some figurines remain on display at the Mozarteum and Mozart's birthplace until the end of August, the garden portion of the exhibition has concluded early due to the theft.

Artist’s Reaction

German conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl, creator of the installation, expressed dismay over the loss, stating, “The worst thing for an artist is when his work dissolves.” He dismissed the possibility that tourists were simply taking the 50-centimeter (20-inch) figures as souvenirs, believing it to be a case of organized theft occurring at night after the garden closed. Hörl described the situation as “a bit cheeky,” but also acknowledged the inherent risks of displaying art in public spaces.

Previous Incident and Acceptance of Risk

This is not the first time one of Hörl’s installations has been targeted by thieves. A similar incident occurred in Bayreuth, where 100 figures of composer Richard Wagner disappeared. Hörl appears to have accepted such occurrences as part of working with public art, stating, “When you work as an artist in a public space, you mustn't complain about what is happening there… It ranges from destruction to theft. That’s just how it is.” He had intended to sell the Mozart figures for approximately €90 each after the exhibition.

Organizers have not announced any plans to further investigate the thefts or attempt to recover the stolen figurines, and the remaining figures will remain on display at the Mozarteum and Mozart’s birthplace through the end of August.

(With inputs from DW)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.